Vol. XXn Recent Literature. 2IQ 



1903 J -^ 



■wild turkey (Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. VI, 1881, p. 60). Taking the 

 * bill ' to Mr. Wm. Brewster for identification we found that it resembled 

 most closely the bill of Cabot's Tern, being considerably smaller than 

 the bill of the Royal Tern. It differed, however, from the bills of these 

 and other terns in having a very hard epidermis with a brilliant polish. 

 Feeling considerable doubt as to the identity of the specimen, I showed it 

 to Mr. J. A. Allen, who believed that it was not in his province and sug- 

 gested that Mr. Walter Faxon might clear up the mystery. Respecting the 

 Crustacea, Mr. Faxon, however, promptly replied that it was not a crab's 

 claw. At Mr. Brewster's suggestion I then sent it on to the Smithsonian 

 institution and received the following reply. "Where Mr. Brewster has 

 failed I ought perhaps to be duly cautious in expressing an opinion. 

 Nevertheless a careful examination and comparison of the fragment of a 

 bird's bill vou enclose leaves little doubt in my mind as to the bird, which 

 is the Royal Tern {Sterna regia). Compare the remnant with the bill of 

 that bird and I think you will agree that in contour the agreement is very 

 close. The cutting edges of the fragment are worn down, and the size 

 otherwise reduced by rubbing, as witness its polish. Due allowance being 

 made for loss of size, and it appears to me that the conclusion expressed 



above is inevitable .... I should have added that Mr. agrees with 



Tne." Not satisfied with the identification I let the matter rest and did not, 

 fortunately, rush into print with the interesting note. Two years later, 

 while examining a dogfish, Sqiialus americamis.^ I was struck with the 

 resemblance of the spine in front of the anterior dorsal fin to my shell- 

 heap bird's bill with its polished epidermis. On comparing them the 

 identity is unquestionable. — Charles W. Townsend, M. D., Boston., 

 Mass. 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Ornithological Magazines. 'The Condor.' — The fourth volume of 

 ■" The Condor,'! for iqo2, consists of about 150 quarto pages of excellent 

 matter relating mainly to Pacific coast ornithology. The January- 



' The Condor, Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club of California. 

 Published bi-monthly at vSanta Clara, Cal., in the interests and as the official 

 ■orgaai of the Club. Walter K. Fisher, Editor, I'alo Alto, Cal. ; Joseph 

 Grinnell, Business Manager, Palo Alto, Cal. Subscription, $1.00 a year in 

 advance; single copies, 25 cents. Vol. IV, 1902, pp. i-iv, 1-14S, with num- 

 erous half-tone illustrations. 



